Follow your heart?

These 'fluffy' words are quite popular among Chinese youngsters young people in China (youngsters is not wrong, but it is something old people say) today. I would not say it is really fluffy because these words have been confusing me for quite a long time, until a moment ago (how long? within the last hour? Then moment is OK) when I was reading about Buddhism...

The confusing question (what confused me is better) was that people say "follow your heart", but where is the heart? and in Chinese the heart means 真心 which is represents a truthful, real, sincere heart but which is not fake. Further, But how do you know that the heart which you are following is not fake, unfounded(do you mean deceptive/untrue?) or fluffy:P?

The idea that helped me figured out the answer is that "if it is you are not paid, would you still like to do the things which you are doing now?", seeing that it is a material world where people are motivated by money and fame.

So I would say that things you will insist on doing no matter if you were paid or not, are the choices sourced from 真心.

Buddha says people in this world do not have true hearts(I don't really know how to say this, "佛说世间的人用的心不是真心，而是妄心.真心永远不变，而妄心是变幻无常的。真心就好比是月亮，而妄心是水里的月亮影子")，真心 never change, but 妄心 is always changing.
You could say: Buddha says that a true heart is like the moon, and people's hearts are like the moon's reflection on the water. The moon never changes, but the reflection flickers and changes with the movement of the water. Just like a reflection on the water, people's hearts are not genuinely true, but constantly changing.

I thought I'ved figured out the answer but right now I still don't understand what is 真心 actually is,because I haven't become a Buddha yet. But it is good to know how to judge what choice sources which choices come from 真心 and what does which do not.





p.s.Some people might ask that "how do how come you say you haven't become a Buddha, isn't him he the God in your religion?" Buddha is actually not the only person or God, it is the name for the people who have infinite mindfulness(无上正等正觉), and also, Buddhism is not a religion but a sort of education, ancient people in temples had to study 16 hours a day; but in the recent 300 years the temple people no longer obey the rules but just do the ceremonial things, that's the reason why it went down to became just religion and people who don't know about Buddhism think it is 迷信。（is "blind faith" ok here?) blind faith is a little harsh, it usually refers to someone believing in something despite facts proving that it is untrue. Superstition is probably better here :-)






I also discussed this question in Chinese, just put it up here:)

追随真心 可能是件不靠谱的事情

很久以前我也把这四个字奉为至理。而一年前左右却又觉得它颇经不起推敲。

问题在这里：1. 人类所知范围内的心可以称之为真心吗？ 2.  有时人们所谓的追随“真心”，只不过是为追随欲望穿上了一层梦幻的外衣。3. 既然在不知真心的情况下就去坚定的追求它，那会有什么结果？（嗯，也或许真心就是明白人想要的结果，但这不是今天要说的。）

写这这篇短文的缘起是今日修学读到了一段话:"你看世間人在社會上每天很辛苦、很努力去工作，為什麼？什麼力量在推動你？讓你每天勤苦的工作，早出晚歸，你想是什麼力量？我想大家都能答的出來，名利，利比名還重要。假如今天一點好處都沒有，一分錢都拿不到，你肯不肯去做工？你就懈怠了，你就不肯了。所以社會動力的根源就是利，其次就是名，這兩個是社會的動力。" 只读这段话大家得出的感悟或许不同，所以就不求甚解吧。

还有一段话很重要 ：“菩薩用的心是真心，就不是假的，真心是永遠不會變，佛用真心，菩薩也用真心。佛用的是圓滿的真心，菩薩是部分的真心，但是他是真的，不能說他是假的。佛在經上用月亮來做比喻，十五的滿月比喻佛的心，菩薩的心像初三、初四的月牙。你看月牙的一點月光，那個光是真的還是假的？真的，一點都不假，決定是真的。所以說初三、初四一直到十四，都是菩薩心，他是真心，沒有圓滿，所以叫正等正覺。阿羅漢用的心，是水裡頭的月亮，不是真的，是假的。水裡頭的月亮，鏡子裡的月亮，叫鏡花水月，是假的，不是真的。所以從用心上看，菩薩的心跟佛的心相似，很接近，是真的，不是假的。所以縱然是初住菩薩，剛剛破一品無明，證一分法身，他用的心就是真心，絕對沒有虛妄，所以這叫正等正覺。”

所以啊，上面三个困惑本人已久的问题，终于有点拨云见雾的感觉了。初步认定，当一件事情，你明知近期没有名利的回报，也不期望将来有名利回报，也还要持之以恒的去做，一直到你人间生命的尽头。这样你做的这个选择应该就是“追随真心的”。  

至于什么是真心，我不是佛，我还不知道，期待有一天可以悟道。佛和菩萨用的是真心，而世间人烦恼习气重，用的是妄心。所以还是不要随便“follow your heart”吧：）

P.S.肯能会有人问为什么我会讲“我不是佛，我还不知道”，难道普通人可以和自己把佛相提并论吗？ 一切众生皆有如来智慧德相，但以妄想分别执著而不能证得。换句话说，一切众生本来是佛。修行得道成为无上正等正觉的人，都可以称之为为佛。再最后啰嗦一下，佛教不是宗教，而是教育。古人在寺庙里要每天学习16小时，寺院确确实实是教化众生的场所。而后人渐渐怠惰，只剩下拜佛的形式，所以难怪今日人们会把佛教同迷信联系在一起。这两个是人们对佛教的误解。

How do you like the weather in...?

I currently live in a medium (sized) city (or town;) called Jönköping in Sweden. The weather here is...well, I don't like (to like) or dislike anything, so can I say it is interesting? (so I would say it is... interesting? is probably better for your desired effect. If you ask "can I say" it sounds like a language question, but I think you mean it in a different way)

How interesting is it? Um...before I came here I had been(was is better. Past perfect continuous is usually used to show that something started and ended in the past, so had been here gives the feeling that you lived there, then moved somewhere else, and then moved to Sweden) living in Xi'an, a city in the center of China, for 20 years. In comparison, I think the weather in J-town is interesting, because you don't know when it turns from sunny to rainy or when it turns to sunny from rainy.

You know, I always brought an umbrella with me during the time after I just came here(during my first time here - to come is an ended action, so unless you are talking about something on your journey, it would be strange to use come here) in autumn 2010, but sooner or later I found (but I soon found. Here you don't want to use the expression "sooner or later" because that is about something uncertain, "it will happen sooner or later" but here you mean that you soon found out something) that people rarely use umbrellas even if it is rainy. One reason of(for) that is, maybe, it often rains in the middle of the day but people didn't(don't - stick to one tense) have the(an - here we are not talking about a specific umbrella) umbrella in the morning when leaving home. (And=delete) as time (has) passed by I've perceived that they(people) seem to be enjoyable(comfortable enjoyable is when you enjoy something - the theater performance was enjoyable. You mean to say that people are enjoying themselves, not that you are enjoying looking at them) in the rain without the(an) umbrella, but no one say(s) "I like rainy days".

(While=delete) the weather in Xi'an doesn't change a lot during a period of 1-2 weeks, and it is easy to forecast. When it is going to rain, there must be(are) some recognized(recognizable) factors indicating (the=delete) rainy weather, but still it (is) sometimes unpredictable, especially (now,) under the circumstance(conditions might be better) of global warming.

谈恋爱

这个话题不容易说，一个原因是因为恋爱本来（本身itself。“本来”是指一个事物原本blahblah但是后来变化了；e.g.我本来不想去aka，但是所有的人都叫我去。。）不好说，另一个原因是我原来想到的话题是delete与英文单词有关系，所以用中文不好解释。我来试试吧 ：D

我先（想）到的这个恋爱话题是因为我有一个朋友，她认识一个男人。他们已经半年只有跟对方在一起（他们已经彼此相处了半年：），经常一起看电影，一起睡，也会在学校前面吻吻（也会在学校里接吻）。基本上对我来说看起来（or 从我的角度看来）他们是男女朋友。我朋友却说他们不是男女朋友.. 为什么？我觉得只要你们喜欢上对方，没有对别人感（恋爱）兴趣，就算说（就说明）你们在一起。她说因为没有跟他谈过是否（要成为）男女朋友（，）所以不是（所以他们不算男女朋友。这样句子更完整一些）。为什么先要谈这个？你们心里都应该知道！

我还有一个朋友，她喜欢上一个男人，但是这个男人说他现在不要女朋友。他说很喜欢我的朋友，不过先要试一试别的女人怎么样。他给我朋友说过了半年（，）他们可以做男女朋友（他告诉我朋友说他们有机会做男女朋友，已经说过半年了。如果你说“可以做男女朋友”，那通常人们会认为这个男的同意那个女的做他的女朋友了。所以在这里用“有机会”来表示可能性，更好），但是现在他已经在我朋友前面（面前）跟另外一个女人在一起，肯定让我朋友伤心得很（or 我朋友肯定伤心得很）。怎么可以这样“准备”做男女朋友,但是现在这样？你喜欢一个人就应该跟这个人在一起，为什么还要多的女朋友？

我觉得谈恋爱应该很简单，互相喜欢就在一起，但是好像没有那么简单。。。

薯片

薯片与土豆有什么关系？

一般用土豆做薯片。但是说起土豆有几个词可以形容，比如可以说健康，蔬菜，天然等等（没错，但是如果你想让语言更简洁的话可以这样说：说起土豆我们会想到这几个词，健康，天然，蔬菜等等）。薯片呢?虽然是来自同样的原料但是形容薯片的词是相反的，不健康，肥，胖，味精，不天然等等。

我们亲爱的土豆怎么变得这个样子？我们为什么这么喜欢吃薯片但是来形容他（它）的词都不好？

就（这）说明我们这个土豆的用法多得很，可以做健康的饭，可以做好吃的，可以做很多不同的样子（or: 总之可以做成不同形式的土豆）。

我喜欢吃各种各样的土豆，但是吃薯片的时候从觉得自己在做一个不好的事情，不过吃烤土豆的时候觉得自己很不错，吃保持健康的蔬菜！

我不是很喜欢吃很咸的东西，但是我对薯片有一点上瘾，不过我不愿意承认。。哈哈哈

Chips

FATTY, SALTY——but I just like it(them, it is more referring to an action) :P there are not so many alternatives of snacks(snack-alternatives is better, try to avoid using the of-form, because it makes sentences more complicated),but sometimes I do want to eat some snacks, and chips seem to be the most delicious one(kind of snack).

Why not candy? Not only because of my poor(do you mean to say "poor teeth", as in "I feel sorry for my teeth" or do you mean that your teeth are in poor condition? This way it sounds like you have bad teeth) teeth but also the taste, it could be(is, you are making a statement) too sweet to(for) me. Are your everyday meals sweet or salty, or (something) else? It shouldn't be sweet for most people (Most people don't prefer sweet)...I think the most common taste (preference) must be salty, then (come to=delete) sweet,spicy,acid(sour is better when talking about food, acid is the hard-core stuff) or something else, it depends on different(individual) places and families. So Chips would be a reasonable choice for me than(over) sweet candy:) (this paragraph doesn't completely make sense, or maybe it is just not factual. You mean to say that you don't like sweets, most people don't like sweets and prefer salt, so therefore chips is good for you?)

I don't like chips with too much salt and spice, otherwise(because , otherwise would mean that if you don't eat salty chips ... etc) I have to drink a lot of water, and it is bad for (my) health. Another reason I think I should not eat much(a lot of) chips is that my (facial=delete) skin becomes oil(y) and zits may(often.. may=formal) appear...

Even though there are 100 bad things about chips, I still like them, but there (are could be=delete)(should be) some way to decrease its bad effects to the health (its bad health effects). 1.when (you) want to eat chips, try small packaged ones(smaller packages). 2.have corn chips instead 3. do not go to (the) supermarket when hungry:P

Photography and...

I like to take pictures, but I'm not a fan of photography. I like it just because something in life is worth recording. (maybe documenting could be a better alternative here, since you are not technically recording it, but photographing it)

What's worth taking pictures of? Ummm....parties? mostly not (not really/mostly i don't think so is better here, "not" is too empty).I don't like party pictures because people get quite high(what do you mean by high? Like they are on drugs? Or do you mean fake/elated/animated?) when taking pictures, they have fun but it doesn't feel good(comfortable) to me:p

I would say I love to take pictures of some objects stay in silence (some static objects/"of objects" is probably even better. Silence is related to sound, and you don't need "some" here or to say that objects are silent/not moving, because that is what an object is :-)), like food, a cup of tea, a tree, the sun or something like that. They cannot speak, but you can read them, you can understand their expressing(expression).

Like a cup of tea, it is flat and calm, and reflects the shadow of you. You think about it, and you can feel the calmness; you see your shadow, it will disappear when (the) tea is drunk (up=delete). Similarly, life goes on and everything will disappear in the end of (the=delete)life like the(your/a) shadow. So nothing is really worth being cared(caring) about.

玩

我挺喜欢玩。虽然我已经有二十三快二十四岁，但是我还喜欢做比较有笑(搞笑)的东西（事情）。

像今天，我跟我们的朋友elin去给她父母买给delete小羊吃的东西，我站在购物车上面给人家挥手（according to your description, you may say it like this Elin推着购物车，我站在购物车的架子上 兴高采烈的向大家挥手 which sounds more vivid:）。我觉得让比较没有意思的事情更好玩（本来逛这种商店很没意思，我这样搞笑一下就变得很好玩：）！elin也觉得。哈哈。。

我也喜欢在路上唱歌或者突然因为高兴而跳起来。我就觉得该做让delete我喜欢的事。

但是有的朋友特别不喜欢我这样做。他们会说“别这样”，“不礼貌”，“干嘛”， “有人看我们”，等等。。

我今天做了个决定（，）说delete我要多跟让我高兴，让我玩，给我力气（让我觉得能量充沛）的朋友在一起， 而少跟那种不让我玩的朋友在一起。

做饭的方法

我喜欢吃饭。因为喜欢吃饭所以喜欢做饭？不一定这样。

我不是很喜欢用菜谱做饭，因为这两个原因：

1. 使用的时间多一些

2. 不一定是我喜欢的口味

要用菜谱的话，基本上每次找菜谱都会有你厨房里没有的东西（基本上 每次 菜谱里都会提到你厨房里没有的东西）。所以经常不仅要找菜谱，而且要去超市买你家里没有的东西(没有语法错误，但是前半句太口语，试试这个表达：你的时间不仅花在找菜谱上，而且花在去超市买东西上）。 你要找可以用你厨房里的材料做出饭来的东西，需要用的时间长。（do you want to say:如果你想用厨房里仅有的食材来找到对应的菜谱，也需要很长时间；or 你要在超市寻找 可以搭配厨房现有食材的东西，也需要很长时间 )。

我比较喜欢吃辣，不过不是很喜欢吃咸。我喜欢用大蒜和洋葱，不喜欢用糖。大多数英语菜谱不是根据我的口味来写的，而是根据他人的口味。所以说有可能看了很认真，买了所有的东西，但是还不是我最喜欢吃的菜（or 所以说有可能我很认真的看了菜谱，买了所有的东西，但做出来之后却不是我喜欢的口味）。

所以说（上一段最后一句说过了这个link word：），要是不是因为非常想吃某东西(某样东西)，我最喜欢现炒葱，后炒蒜，再放辣椒，再加上某家里面有的（家里面有的），或者超市里面便宜的，觉得可能适合的东西。

别人给我做饭的时候我却什么都喜欢，只是我自己做的时候觉得有一定的标准 ;) 哈哈哈。。

The best flavor for cooking

"what would you like to eat?" It(this) could (very well) be the most frequently asked question(s=delete) in our life. No matter (if) someone cooks for you or you do it by yourself, every human being has to think of this question every day, unless s/he doesn't eat.

I like cooking, and I like to create my own recipe(recipes) instead of doing(cooking) according to an existed(existing) one. I call them creation(s) mainly because of two reasons: they are truly creation; but sometimes I fail to follow a recipe step by step, but it still tastes good:) Do you mean "I call them creations under these two circumstances - either they are truly creations or they are failed attempts of following a recipe?"If you say because of two reasons, it seems strange to use "but" as a linking word.

Doing creation(Creating something) is always good, when you put your imagination into cooking, it becomes no longer boring but attractive(it stops being boring and becomes attractive instead). Even though your meal is not(may not be, "is" is too general, sounds like it is never good) delicious, you have fun and you know how to make it better (for=delete) the next time.

"What would you like to eat?" Isn't it an interesting question? Don't forget to put some imagination in(to) your meal!:D

手机·

我十岁的时候没有人有（用）手机。只是在电视上看到美国电视剧里面有个很大的但是我们觉得太酷的移动电话东西（，很酷的，而且可以移动着打电话用的东西）。。哈哈。。

我十四岁的时候自己买了我第一个手机，可以发短信，打电话，玩游戏。我觉得真时尚！但是看现在的手机（这么高端），只过了十年，但是当时的手机我们都觉得特别过时了（我们就觉得当时的手机对现在的人来说已经特别过时了）。

现在的手机（可以）用来发邮件，拍照，作为你的闹钟，录音器，地图等等。。真的有的人现在要是没有手机不知道怎么办（better if:现在很多人的生活离不开手机，如果没有了手机真是不知道怎么办）。我有时候想回到原来的生活，没有随时的联系方法（即时通讯工具），只有人与人的关系（面对面的沟通或者写信交流，是一种更加真切的人际关系）。但是我知道在现在的社会中原来的生活不存才（但是我知道自己不可能回到那个没有即时通讯的年代），我只能（尽量）好好地照顾我的朋友，好好地去（尽量）跟他们在一起的时候别（不。“别”有点order 的意思）看手机。有的时候我真的不行（做不到），跟朋友在一起还在看我的facebook发布的什么东西。但是我知道这个做法是不对的，所以我希望能改变的！

哈哈，现代生活说是容易，真的与以前相比是容易的生活（与以前相比，沟通更加快捷迅速），但是压力不一样。现在人家不仅希望而期望随时给你联系(do you want to say 现在因为即时通讯的发达，很多人随时随地都能找到你，有时候感到压力很大）。。。

Making tofu

Making Tofu is amazingly easy and simple, but I didn't know this until I decided to make it.

My mom told that I need soya and a sort of chemical(eatable), it calls(is called) "lu shui 卤水" in Chinese but I didn't(couldn't) figure out its English name. Even in China it is not easy to find "lushui" if you are not a tofu maker, no mention(not to mention how hard) it is in Sweden where people do not eat tofu and some people are even allergy(allergic) to it. (真的？？）

I searched online and finally found(I had) a surprise: (there are) several substitutes of "lushui"! they are agar, gelatin and.....um, the first two you can easily find in a western supermarket, but agar is very expensive and gelatin is made from animal bone. I'm not a vegetarian but tofu belongs to vega(vegetarian) food, so that's(it would not be) not pure if using gelatin. But finally I found a video on youtube and it was(with) a man making tofu with vinegar! Why didn't I find this video at(in) the beginning!(?)

So, first step, soya powder+ water(1:4), boiling(boil) them for 3 minutes, then turn off the iron(heat). Second, wait until it becomes colder at the temperature between(the temperature is between) 85℃-90℃. This is hard to control since we don't(didn't) have some(any type of) measurement (tool), don't test by hand(with your hands) it is dangerous...according to the video, 5-6 minutes after boiling the soya soup would be about that temperature. And also the video says(said) the temperature is the key to success of making tofu.

Third, vinegar! Add vinegar with measurement or just a big spoon, step by step, do not add too much at once. You will see the soup become(becoming) stick(y), then (to=delete) solid( if it is perfect).

Last step is easy, prepare a bow(l)/container and a cloth which can well cover the bow against the inside of the bow(what does this mean? Which can cover the inside of the bowl well?), and it will be perfect with very tiny holes which (are) used to filter the water but not (the) soya. Water the cloth, and slowly pour the well-done soya on to the cloth...Then filter (the) water by hand and put (the) tofu into a lovely container, (and) if you like, shape it (in)to a solid cube and put it in the fridge:)

Notably=delete, if you want to have soft tofu, try to keep more water when you (are) filtering. And don't add too much vinegar because I made such a(this) mistake:P

Yum yum!

Anything about Sleep

Before I started (writing today) today's writing, I looked up Macmillan Dictionary for these 2 words(I looked up these 2 words in the Macmillan Dictionary): sleep and sleepy：）Today's topic is anything about sleep.

-"Have a good night('s) sleep!" "good night~" are really nice and sweet words(sayings/sentences). But I don't usually speak(say) "good morning" or "good night" to my parents,either(neither do) my parents and most Chinese families...just like "I love you". It feels strange to speak(say) these words to my parents. I do love them and they do love me, but we are so shy that we cannot easily speak out. This(our culture) is not a straightforward culture.

I think sometimes it is good to be not(not be) straightforward, for example, when you have (a) bad relationship with a person, if you speak(say) "I hate you", then there would be very little chance to break the ice(here, regain friendship or stay friends would be better, since "break the ice" is usually only used in situations when you are getting to know people you don't know.. and usually you wouldn't hate people you don't know ;)) because rude words get people more irate; but if you don't (say these words), there would be still(still be) some chance for you to become friends. One more friend means less enemies. (there is nothing wrong with this sentence, but the words are quite "high-flying". Not a lot of people would talk about friends/enemies in a blog or even in a book, mostly in regards to war or history)

But sometimes to be(being) straightforward is better, when you dare to speak out your true thoughts and feelings, you are a(n) honest person in the eyes of people around you and they would like to be friends with you. Some Chinese students tend to keep their opinions (to themselves) in many occasions, though they (may) have many different reasons to be in silence(silent), some people would(might) still think they are indifferent.

-OK let's come back to the topic"sleep" ...I don't like to sleep but I sleep quite much( a lot)—_—, I often dream that people no longer need to sleep and they can do anything(everything) else instead! But it is impossible, at least so far we cannot keep(stay) awake day and night. We need rest.

Sometimes it feels sweet when you are sleepy, and(to) have a nap with your favorite book lying in a super soft sofa:D

睡觉

我们都知道为什么要睡觉。没睡好的天(时候)不仅身体没有力气（，）而且脑袋（也）没有办法去想好（好好想问题），什么都做不好。

但是有的天（时候）我觉得需要睡很长时间，有的天（时候）觉得只需要几个小时就够了。那，别说天吧（Did I misunderstand you? what do you mean by "天" in the sentences above?），应该是说有的时候自己觉得需要睡更长时间。

比如近这一个月，经常晚上两三点睡，早上大概八九点起床，没有任何问题。 6个小时够了，觉得有力气。可能是因为最近忙，可能是因为最近觉得高兴，可能是因为最近觉得朋友多。。。具体是(因为)什么我不知道，但是我发现真的没有必要睡很长时间。

以前有的时候我觉得八个小时也不够，晚上就是点睡（do you mean "tough I went to bed on time" then "即使晚上整点/准点睡"），早上八点（都）起不来，整天都累。我记得那个时候可能没有现在高兴，但是真的不知道为什么。

以前想（我以前觉得这）是delete与灯亮（日照时间）有关系，夏天睡的时间短一些，因为太阳早出来晚（上）落地（下山）（，）而冬天反了，起不来。这个也有一点关系，但是不好说哪一个原因是重（主要）的。

我要回延雪平的那一天真的希望是有力气的一天（希望我回到延雪平的那一天真的是有力气的一天），因为晚上三点多才到，第二天早上九点钟就有我们第一门“计划与工艺学” 的课（“战略与技术”的第一节课），所以只能睡四个小时。。哈哈哈 J 但是旅游并值得一干（但是为了旅游我拼了！哈哈哈）！

跳舞

有的人喜欢跳舞，有的人不喜欢。

一般在丹麦和瑞典来说女性喜欢跟朋友跳舞，因为觉得好玩。男性一般只喜欢用(通过)跳舞来找新的女朋友。。在南美却不一样，我发现男的女的都喜欢跳舞（，）因为（这可以）让大家高兴。为什么有这个区别？

我不知道。

我自己很喜欢跳舞。我跳的时候（，）并没有找男人（、）谈恋爱的想法，就是因为喜欢听音乐，喜欢让自己感觉自由，喜欢（舞）动身体。但是我发现很多男人以为跳舞只是为了找个女人带回家， 更奇怪的是他们以为女人有同样的想法。有可能有别的女人也是这样想的，但是我从来没有这个想法。我不会出去（，=delete）喝酒，跳舞，找个新的男人，回去跟他睡。我真的不懂为什么要这样——就为了一个晚上有什么好处??？你们都喝醉了，第二天会后悔，没有发展，没有爱情。

好，转移目标（话题）了，话题是跳舞。。嘿嘿。。

我现在在克罗地亚跟我的南非朋友在一起，而看他们经常出去跳舞为了跳舞（而我发现他们就是为了跳舞而经常出去），并没有别的意思。他们肯定也谈恋爱（，）但是没有像这个北欧男性的想法（很多北欧男人一样的想法）——跟女人跳舞聊天只是为了 。。。

希望北欧的男性会理解不是所有的女性（都）要找男人。

A hat

I have a small(,) lovely blue hat. It looks(is - because you say "a bit .. style", these are already adding the desired effect of "looking like", if you add "looks" as well, it sounds a bit too "uncertain") a bit pupil(school-girl is better here, more used in relation to clothing. Pupil is usually used when talking formally in a school-context) style, but I like it very much:D I thought I bought it myself 4-5 years ago, but my mother told me that it was a gift from my aunt, my mother(')s elder sister, and........She gave it to me when I was 3 years old...lOl. No wonder it feels (like=delete) small (to me=delete no need to add "to me, if you say it feels small, people would know that it is to you), my head is bigger than that (of a) 3-year-old girl.

I'm afraid this hat is the only clothing that I've been keeping(kept is better, because when we use "been keeping" it is like there has been a change now - like, "I have been keeping all my clothes for 15 years, but now I threw it all out) for more than 15 years! For most people, most things(,) especially clothing(clothes)(,) could be(are) no longer attractive after they are bought from the store, except things that people have some personal attachment with(to).

It is hard to tell whether I had (a) personal attachment with(to) this hat when I was 3 years old, at that time I was just a kid and knew nothing (about anything) but playing. I think it just (so) happened that my mother put it (up=delete, she didn't put it on the wall or on high shelves, did she?) in my room and I just found it by chance when I grew up.It was lovely.(It was a lovely moment/It was a lovely hat?)

I think this hat will still be with me tens of years from now on. Time change(s) everything but not me and my hat:D

Interesting Coffee

I like coffee but not caffeine. Most of the time it makes me uncomfortable, my heart beats quite quickly after drinking coffee, and I cannot fall asleep if I have coffee in the evening. But it depends, if I feel really tired, I can still fall asleep quickly; And coffee seems to be my good friend during the exam weeks.

When I was at high school, if I (could=delete) remember correctly, the best seller(selling item) of the campus store was coffee in cans...why not regular coffee or instant coffee? Yes you get(guessed) it: for saving time, students have not(don't have) much leisure time to enjoy coffee in weekdays(during the week is better here, weekdays just means days of the week, unless it is used in direct comparison with weekend).

Coffee is very common in today's China, not in family(families or maybe "homes" is better here) but on the street, you can easily find coffee shops like Starbucks everywhere in cities. But the taste of coffee is not so good in most coffee shops in China, just like the strange food from Chinese restaurants in foreign countries.


How often do you drink coffee? You may find that if you stop drinking coffee for a couple of weeks, then start to drink again, coffee may work well in keeping you awake:) For me, that is true. So I don't drink coffee if I don't need to.

But sometimes it is interesting to have coffee with my friend(s), like Swedish "fika", that's truly a particular(particular is more like 特定的, do you mean special/unique/significant?) daily event in Sweden. Hi(Hey) Swedes, how do you get so much time:D?

Another interesting fact which I don't know why(the reason for) yet, is that I prefer tea rather than coffee when I am abroad but I like coffee more than tea when I am in China. hahaha!

咖啡

我大部分朋友和亲戚特别喜欢喝咖啡。在丹麦，到一个人的家，他们不问“喝咖啡吗？”他们(而是。原来的句子没错，但是用“而是”会强调丹麦人喜欢咖啡的情感)问“用牛奶或糖吗？” 我现在不喜欢喝咖啡，虽然人家请我喝（，）但是每次（都会）会谢绝。

我大概14岁的时候真的想开始喝咖啡，因为我觉得大人喝咖啡很酷，想自己快一点成为一个大人。所以我开始喝，一开始用得（delete）很多牛奶，很多糖，但是慢慢开始喝黑咖啡，因为觉得能和黑咖啡的孩子最酷。。哈哈哈。。

我在高中时也经常喝咖啡（，）但是最喜欢喝茶。喝咖啡却还是跟朋友的正常活动（both"但是"and"却" are the meaning of "but"，a little strange here; maybe revise the last sentence as:"喝咖啡只是和朋友的社交活动"）。

高中完了去工作了以后，觉得每天累(每天都觉得累)，而且我的公司免费提供了（delete）咖啡（，）所以天天喝了几杯（所以天天都会喝几杯。 I've found that you are used to using "了" to express things actually already done, but this is very English thinking, if you don't want to stress something is already done, then no need to use "了"：） e.g.我已经看过了。but some times "了" is just sort of tone, like "太热了"， it doesn't mean "sth is done" here）。

到了石家庄以后没有人那样喝咖啡，经常喝白开水或者茶。我也没有想念咖啡，所以不喝对我来说也没有关系。一开始偶尔买了delete一点，偶尔喝了delete一点，但是因为他人（当地人。“他人”有点儿academic）没有这个习惯所以我也没有去喝（我也没有再去喝了。because you said "一开始" just now）。

到了厦门以后发现每个人都有自己的茶盘茶具，每天都去泡铁观音。所以我也买了自己的茶盘茶具，开始每天泡茶喝铁观音，忘掉了咖啡。入乡随俗(nice)，我根据某地方的习惯去安排自己的饮料习惯(自己喝饮料的习惯)。

瑞典又是一个热爱喝咖啡的国家，跟丹麦差不多。fika是大家都快学会的词，意思是喝咖啡吃小甜点饼干，跟朋友聊天。我刚到瑞典的那时候还觉得我的茶盘是一个异国情调的东西，所以我还是经常用它来泡茶。到我生活的这个时候，喝咖啡成为大人不是我的目的（我活到现在这个年纪，喝咖啡成为大人已经不是我的目的了），目的却是（而是）做一个有意义的，国际（化）的人。。哈哈。。

在上大学发现了有一天累死了（上学的时候有一天感觉快累死了），朋友提醒我喝咖啡（，）因为让人有能力（因为这能让人精力充沛）。喝了一杯以后感觉自己好像疯了，是多了一点能力（力气）但是也多了一点疯狂。又觉得肚子不舒服，味道不好喝。

还继续了偶尔喝一杯（后来我又喝了一杯），看了delete感觉有没有不一样，但是真的每次都这样。所以我现在不喝咖啡（，）原因如此：

不好喝

不健康

肚子不舒服

觉得我疯了（or 让我过于兴奋）

可以上瘾的

种咖啡的农民（不是fairtrade的话）收不到合适的生活费，咖啡市场的价格太低

等等。

所以还是喝茶比较好吧！

Happy Bday to my high school

Today is my high school's 104th birthday. I didn't know actually(,) until I saw some posts from my school mates. "Happy Bday my mother school!" hahaha.

I don't know (whether) I love my high school or not...I would say it is very complicated. But there is no doubt that I like most of my teachers and friends,(it is) just not the same thing to(about) the school. (Because=delete because you are starting a new sentence. you could say: it is just not the same thing about the school because I had some extreme thoughts and experienced very high pressure when I was there) I had some extreme thoughts and experienced very big(high) pressure when I was at (the=delete) high school.I was(had) a bit (of a) bad temper and easy to lose (easily lost) control at that time. I cried because of my grades. I wasn't happy at all, comparing(compared) to now:) (think about all your sentences starting with I - try to turn around some of them, like "my grades made me unhappy. Compared to now, I was not happy back then, etc. etc.)

But that should not be the reason (why) I hate it. Because such a problem(the problem of) big(high) pressure to(on) students) doesn't exist only in my school but (is) very common in China. I would't be less stressed if I was in another school. Something needs to be changed. But I did learn something during the time in high school, mostly from my teacher (and) awesome friends but not from the text books, assignments and exams.

The whole environment of the society is to encourage competition. This should not be a long-term strategy for education. But my high school is too weak compare(d) to the power of (the=delete) society, it cannot just escape out of the environment and claim that "we think about students' life long development", even though this is truly the mission of the school. I know she is trying her best, but still a lot of things need to be fixed out of(about) school education in (the=delete) society. (the "she" and "her" is a bit weird here, but if you are referring back to your "mother school in the beginning, it makes sense in a way :-))

买衣服

很多女性非常喜欢买衣服。我却并不喜欢。为什么？

有几个原因。。。

一个是不喜欢我们这个消费社会。为什么要每个月买新的？你就(旧)的衣服还可以用（你的旧衣服还可以穿）（，）但是因为你或别人不觉得（觉得不。不觉得也没错，但是这种情况下，大家习惯说“觉得不时尚”）时尚你就去把它扔掉。（，）我觉得很浪费，没有必要买新的，就别买新的！而我这个必要不是感觉的意思，就是说，你冷的时候，没有大衣穿，去买大衣 ———但是（并=delete）别因为觉得去年的大衣不时尚而去买新的。

我另一个原因是觉得衣服太贵。我今天买了一件大衣，699克罗地亚克朗。对大一来说（对一件大衣来说）这个不是很贵，但是跟吃的或旅游的（两个我最喜欢做的事情）相比，就是挺贵的。可以用这个钱吃很好吃的东西或者去一次旅游（旅游一次）。。但是这次真的有必要买更暖和的衣服，所以买了。但是我不喜欢。

我最后一个原因是（我）不喜欢卖衣服的商店（卖衣服的商店=服装店）。时穿（试穿）的时候感觉太热，不舒服（，）很紧张。。而且有服务员一直在看你，帮助你，让你买更多。。我不喜欢这个感觉，每次感觉他们帮我的话（，）不买东西不礼貌，所以我一般（最=delete）喜欢没有人帮我的地方。

我最喜欢买衣服的时候进去，快试穿，买，走的过程（我最喜欢的买衣服的过程是：进店，快速试穿和付钱，然后快点走。）。（有时候）找不到合适的我快累死了。我的很多女朋友（女性朋友。女朋友就是grilfriend嘿嘿）特别喜欢，我没法理解为什么。。我真的不喜欢！

Haaappiness:D

Are you happy?-"Yes, I am. Because a rich person has donated (us = delete) a school building, so I can go to school now."-"No, I am not. Because I have to do a lot of homework (un)til midnight every day." Obviously, different people have their own (different=delete) expectations of happiness.

People often have (some strange=delete - it is a bit too much to both say strange and ridiculous) thoughts that you may think ridiculous, but most people do (act some ridiculous behaviours = behave in a ridiculous manner). If you ask:"why are you so busy (without and not is better) caring about your family?" Maybe one would answer: "well, I'm busy making money to buy them everything" -"Why do you want to make(buy) them everything" -"because they will be happy in this way" -"But they are actually not happy when you are trying to make them happy..."

So, where does happiness come from? The two stories above may give us some(a) clue, but not(no) answers.

I have found (out that) the problem is so hard when(while) (I am=delete) writing this blog! How did I think of such a hard topic when Eva asked me what to write the day before yesterday? Because at that time I was happy. So happiness is simple when you are happy; but it is hard when you are thinking about it...

Happiness is also very generous, when you share your happiness with your friend, your friend also becomes happy, but your happiness never decrease(s):)

怎样保持快乐的状态？

怎么样保持快乐的状态？这个问题并不简单，但是对我来看（要我来说的话），有两个重要的意见。

1. 你周边的人

2. 你自己的乐观，满足和想法。

1. 你周边的人

你应该能发现，有的人给你力气（能量），有的人感觉好像把你的能量拿走（吸走。but“拿走” is mo prob here）。应该多跟给离奇（能给你正面能量的）的朋友在一起，少跟其他的人在一起。这个虽然听出来（听起来）简单（，）但是（你）真的要考虑真正的朋友是谁，有时候有（即使是）戚戚（亲戚）或者亲密的朋友，（他们都是很亲近的人，但是他们当中有些人）真的有一点太悲观，太爱说坏事（or 消极的事，讲话带着消极的情绪）。你天天听别人的问题，天天听不高兴的状态，那你自己也没法高兴了。

2. 你自己的乐观，满足和想法

自己也一定要乐观。有时候问题大（太多），朋友少，情况不容易，但是非（一定）要保持自己的乐观，千万不要去想“没有办法”。（不论）你多么不高兴，的时候就要（都要）找到自己的乐观（让自己乐观的事情），出去走步，看一部电影，找好朋友聊天。有时候不容易，但是应该这样坚持。相信好人存在（相信这个世界上好人多）！

每个情况下（不论什么时候都）应该找到（让）自己满足（的事）。有可能你现在的工作不是你梦想里的工作，但是要找你喜欢的一点。可能是你的朋友，可能是你的爱好，可能是每天五分钟的咖啡fika。只要有一点点让你高兴一点的，你就多看那件事。不是说你要从始到终留在（坚持）同一个你不喜欢的工作，但是（而是）在做不喜欢的工作时（也）要坚持高兴。

那也就与你的想法有关系。很多我们父母那年代的人想你的工作就是你的工作，喜欢不喜欢没关系，一定继续这样。我觉得你只有这个一辈子（一个人只有一辈子），应该用它发展，学习，工作在多个国家，多个不同的行业（在多个国家，各种不同的行业工作，）。你不高兴就安排别的（你不高兴就，就给自己做全新的安排）！

我自己喜欢多旅游，多去看别的地方，见到新的人，新的文化。我也喜欢弹钢琴，唱歌，跟朋友聊天。这都算是爱好，但是这个都是我随时可以做的事。在某些情况下，就安排几次旅游。唱一首歌或者给朋友打电话聊天，这个就是一种保持高兴状态的方法。

Choosing Friends?

Sometimes I feel (like 含有推测的意思) I don't have (a)sense of humor when I'm with some "friends". Days ago I had lunch with some friends. They laughed, I didn't know why; they became excited, I didn't know why. Ridiculously (enough), sometimes I felt it(something) was funny when everyone else didn't...

I don't understand(,) because I can't—_—. But sometimes it is not the problems whether I understand or not(sometimes the problem is not whether I understand or not 好一点，否则的话主语变problems), but (that there are)some topics that I don't like at all. And I think some friends of mine look(act) like silly teenagers when talking about some stupid topics, (sometimes) I even doubt (that=delete) how they got enrolled to(in) a university (level=delete).

Am I too strict? Is it bad (manner=delete) of me (不可以说manners is..., 可以说 Am I displaying bad manners, 但是没必要用manners在这里)? But I try to show respect by behaviour(respectful behaviour) (even) when I don't understand what they talk about. Are they just simply silly or it is my lack of respect to people (from deep in my heart=delete)?

I don't think I did anything wrong because I didn't point at a person and say "you are silly." I confuse myself only when I spend time with (the) wrong people. Try to stay with the people who can understand you and whom you like, and the most important thing is that both of you and your friends will become mature, and wisdom will be the present you give to each other. (这个语言没有什么错误，不过有一点中文感觉。。一般我们可以说and we can learn together, learn from each other，这种语言有一点太fluffy) :-)

But still, I perceive(think) that it is hard to judge whether a person is lack of respect to people or not(lacking respect to people/showing a lack of respect to people), and whether (or not) some people do things (")wrong(") when it comes to values and hobbies.

语言感

我的母语是丹麦语。因为我爸爸从比利时来，所以我学会了荷兰语，不过我没有在学校（的）环境（中）学过。英语是我在学校学得（的）第一门语言（外语），德语第二，法语第三。（sometimes Chinese call the 2nd，3rd foreign languages you learnt as"二外"“三外”）

我住在中国的时候学了中文，但是我也没有专门去上学，（，=delete）学习中文。我自己学了（过）一点，跟朋友或家教（也）学了一点，等等（这个句子没有错误，但是这样说就显得更成熟，流畅）。瑞典语因为靠近（接近）丹麦语所以住在这里以后也学会了。

我发现，说每一门语言的时候，我的性格有一点不一样，我的感觉有一点不一样。我开始想，这是因为语言的文化不一样，还是因为（avoid repeating）我（所掌握的每种语言）的水平不一样，还是因为我的学习方法不一样呢？

说丹麦语的时候，我有一定的方言（口音）。大家都会听出来我从哪来的，而且有一定（一些）词我认识但是不去用，因为（它们）属于哥本哈根方言。说我（的）母语感觉舒服，感觉有自己的背景在里面——但是也会有一点偏见对我（但是有人会因为我的口音而对我产生一些偏见）。还有，因为现在用英文学习，所以我们专业的词我不知道在丹麦语里面怎么说。

来说荷兰语的话，我也说方言，因为我没有在学校学所以只是跟亲戚朋友学的。文明的（标准的）普通荷兰语我可能不太知道，我写的荷兰语也会有错误。 但是说话也感觉舒服，我说一晚也不会累，想不到词语就（找人）解释解释。

英语是我现在用得最多的语言，说话感觉舒服，没有感觉听不懂说不出来（没有听不懂说不出来的感觉），最经常我的思想英文（最经常用英文思考）。说英文的时候，我有我自己的性格但是没有个人的文化（自己的背景文化放在里面），他人（别人）才（猜）不出来我从哪来，我喜欢用美国的词随便用美国的词，喜欢用澳大利亚的词就用澳大利亚的词。没有个人文化（自己的背景文化放在英语表达里）不一定不好。

德语和法语我听得懂，但是说话的时候感觉有一点笨，因为我想得太慢，说得很简单。所以说那两门语言的时候我觉得没有我自己的性格（see comments），说不出来我心里的开放，多听不多说。说一整晚有一点头痛。

中文也感觉舒服，说一整晚没问题，说不出来词（请别人）解释解释也没有问题，（和朋友）交流起来（，）我觉得什么话题都敢谈。虽然我带一点北方口音但是没有人会以为我是中国人，所以也没有这个自己的文化（自己的背景文化放在中文的表达里）。我说中文的时候感觉有一点骄傲（自豪。“骄傲” most of the time is negative in Chinese; only when "我为你感到骄傲" "我为你们的成绩骄傲" you see, it seems like that you can feel 骄傲 of other people or things but not of yourself. 自豪 is good and it tells that you are satisfied）。

那，说瑞典语呢，因为靠近(接近)丹麦语所以应该没问题吧？但是我说瑞典语的时候真的感觉（是在）说奇怪的丹麦语。是（delete）有一点像说你自己的语言，但是没有自己的方言（do you want to say "没有自己的culture"），说得也慢。所以我说瑞典语的时候（，）虽然我的词汇（量）可能比我（的）荷兰语或中文的词汇（量）大一些，但是心里觉得（自己）变了一个人。

这都是因为什么呢？文化，学习方法或者语言水平？可能都有关系，我不知道。。你有没有什么意见？

Listening to music everywhere

I don't understand music at all, because I cannot play (the) piano or any other musical instrument(s=delete). Is that true? (But=delete) why is it that when you are listening to music, you feel sad/happy/motivated/disappointed? Even though you don't know how to play (with=delete) music, you can still understand music.

When you (are)hearing a happy song, you feel delighted, and you don't need to know what the lyrics exactly are (exactly what the lyrics are 好一点). I think that's why many people say (that) "music is the common language of human beings"

I liked listening to music very much when I was a high school student, and(but) now it is not (like=delete) that much, I don't listen to music every()day but every other day or sometime(something) like that. I can hear when I want to listen even there is no sound in the environment; I cannot hear if I don't want to listen to that. 这一句我不太理解，你想说你听音乐的时候不喜欢周边有别的声音吗？So sometimes I sing in my mind instead of listing(listening) to (the=delete) mp3(s) :P

And the type(s=delete) of (the=delete) music that I like have(has) also changed a lot with (the increase of=delete) my age. For example, I liked rock when I was around 16-18, that was one way I released myself from the pressure; but now (I don't know since when) I no longer listen to rock music, because I feel uncomfortable when I listening(listen) to rock, I feel it (is) annoying and messing(messy). That's a quite strange transition. Instead, I prefer pure/classic/Buddhism(buddhist) music rather than rock or pop, which(because they) make you(me，应该说你吧，因为不知道别人会有什么感觉) feel peaceful and harmony in your deep heart(deep in your heart). 你说in your deep heart 这个意思就是在你深深的心里。。 :-)

音乐

经常有人问过我，要是你可以(必须)选的话，最好（没有人会觉得哪一个更好，所以“最好”在这里不大合适）要盲目（眼瞎。盲目经常指思想上的blind）还是（要）耳聋？（如果你想要这段话更完美一点，可以说：“要是你必须在眼睛看不见和耳朵听不见之间选一个，你会选哪一个？”）

一般来说我觉得耳聋应该好一点，我们现代生活（中），（人们经常坐在）一个电脑前，你盲目（看不见）的话电脑就不好用。而且，走起路来，耳聋（的人比眼瞎的人）安全一些。（add the word:"这样" note：用这个词句子就显得比较完整，但是原来的没有错误）只乘下一个问题——音乐。

我很喜欢谈钢琴和吉他，唱歌。我有困难的时候音乐会帮我忘记，我高兴的时候音乐让我更高兴。对我来说，音乐是一种休息的方法。而且，偶尔会有人喜欢听我弹唱（好词！），这个（delete）也给我一个（种）很满足的，很舒服的感觉。

但是这个音乐感真的有意义（但是乐感这个问题真的很有意思），因为每个人完全不一样。有可能你觉得最让你开心的音乐就是我觉得最难听的音乐。有可能我唱这首歌我会觉得很舒服，有可能你一听（就）觉得该结束。

我在中国的时候很喜欢去ktv唱歌，其实我（和很多西方人）觉得中国音乐有一点太一样（相似；or 趋同：趋向于同样的XXX）了。歌词都是什么“爱爱伤伤，分手离开”，音乐也没有什么大的不同。一方面好（容易。好学有时指容易学，有时指喜欢学（”好“念四声），这里用“容易”会更清楚）学，因为不需要很长时间学歌词，也不需要很长时间学会怎样唱；另一方面有一点无聊。对一个学中文的学生来讲，中国现代歌很好，但是对一个心里的（内在的。do you want to say you are a musician in heart? ）音乐家来说（or：但是对于我心里的那个音乐家来说），（现代中文歌）应该多加一点不同的感觉。都是"老鼠爱大米“的话，音乐（add 会。这里用来表示一种可能性的预测）给我们一个（种）怎么样的感觉呢？

我们怎么知道什么是行贿？

我今天在上课的时候跟朋友谈行贿的情况（这个会让人误会：”你是不是准备和你的朋友去行贿某人？"because "谈XX的情况" ： when you show your care, you want to know how it is going, so you "和朋友谈XX的情况" e.g.“我可以和你谈谈这个情况吗？” so可以说：跟朋友讨论有关行贿的话题）。

几个同学觉得只要你把什么东西给某人就算是行贿。

有的同学觉得给钱是行贿，给东西并不是。

我也不知道到底什么区分行贿，礼物和照顾关系的情况。

我觉得与结果和目的有关系。要是你送个礼物，请朋友吃饭，请同事旅游，而你的目的只是让他们更喜欢你，让他们高兴，那就不是问题，不是行贿。而把钱给朋友有一点不一样。

要是你为了卖什么东西，为了做某事情非要给某人一次旅游，一个手表等等，那就算是行贿了。主要的区别是，不给的话没法卖出你的产品，做不出某事。

还有一个区别在中间，我们西方人比较喜欢分开工作和朋友关系。在这里工作的时候，商务排在第一，家人朋友排在第二。在东方却不一样，在那边先看人与人的关系怎么样，才可以做生意。

我觉得不好解决这个问题，因为在不同的人的眼里看，不同的东西算是行贿（行贿的内容有所不同/行贿的定义不同/算不算行贿取决于给什么东西）。

Working in a team

Hej Hej!

Yesterday we both talked about education, so today we are going to write (about) some different topics:D

I'm=delete thinking of our plan, it sounds ordinary, to write some English and Chinese articles and we=delete correct our articles for each other every( )day. But I think the point is=delete how can you keep doing that everyday? It is almost impossible for most people, if you (have to) do that all(everything) by yourself.

So that's the surprise(discovery) I have found(had) from our small plan. When you work in (a) team, (al)though there are only two people, you can be(function as) adviser for each other, and there seems/to be) few chance(s) for you to say "ah...it's 10 o'clock now(,) I should go to bed..." or "I can do that tomorrow..." But=delete once you are in a team, you'll always try your best, if you don't want to break word(s) to your team members and lose the sense of responsibility(responsibility). (Or, if you don't want to be judged as irresponsible/if you don't want to lose the feeling of being responsible)

However, working in (a) team may also have some drawbacks. When it(there) is a big number of people in a team but people do(can I use doing here? Yes you can, but you should say but people are doing because you are talking about when 什么什么) small tasks, the team will face the risk of free-riding.


Question: is the tile(title) right in grammar(grammatically correct)? can I use working in teams or working in a team ^^^

Eva = You can use either working in teams or working in a team, but your title says "working in team". You either have to specify that it is "a team" or the plural "teams" :-)

为什么要学习？

我和雅芳经常谈各种各样的话题，她今天问我说：“我们为什么要学习？”

这个问题不简单，但是(我们可以)来回答问题，我又(就 is better, 又：again, but you didn't raise questions:)提三个我觉得重要的问题：

1. 是因为我们有必要学习还是因为我们需要（被要求）上学？（必要：you are asked to do, you should; 需要：you want and really need）

2. 小学，中学，大学的目的都是什么？

3. 该不该免费？

来回答第一个问题，我没有一定的答案。我就想说，我们的社会有一定的压力，生活中的问题丰富（丰富 is a quite positive word; not usually for describing problems;非常may put here instead）复杂，不先去学习的话，就没法准备。所以(我们在)社会中（生活），有这个必要（do you want to say"it is very necessary in the society" ？ “所以社会中有这个必要”It is us who are necessary to learn, lack of a subject here），但是(而且)我们还需要一点时间去感受一下生活的目的是什么——学习就给我们一定的时间去思考准备。

是因为我们自己想学还是因为别人让我们去学呢？都有一点道理。一方面我们没有学习（就）找不到好的工作，另一方面也想提高自己的能力，增加自己的机会。

回答第二个问题可以说三种学校的目的不同。

基本上在世界上没(每)一个国家，小学是必须的。为什么不就让孩子们玩呢？玩也重要呀！虽然玩很重要，但是学校（教）给孩子一定的基本能力，比如：看书，算数，其实在我眼里看最重要的是学会怎样跟别人沟通（nice ：）。我是独生女，要是没有上小学的话就没有（几乎不会 or 几乎不可能）见到别的孩子，一直都被父母照顾，没有（不会 or 不可能）学会责任心。（没有 here means sth already done, but you know how to communicate, and take responsibility）

学会基本的能力以后呢，为什么要继续学？因为脑子在发展，小时候可能学不会复杂的东西。在中学可以更学（加强学习）基本的能力，比如外国语言，科学和音乐。根据自己的兴趣去更加能力（锻炼不同的能力）。在很多国家所有的人也必须上初中，但是不一定上高中。上高中的部分（原因）还挺多的，原因是 a)我初中同学都要上所以我也去上 b）只有初中能力找不到好的工作 c）没有什么更好的事做。

大学呢？上大学的一个原因又是沟通，搞（don't use it in written Chinese:P  use有 here）一个共同的地方可以一起学习（or a better saying is: 我们在共同的领域一起学习），思考，听别人的看法，更加互相理解。有时候觉得大学学的没有什么道理，以后不会用，但是这个其实没有关系，就因为你跟别人一起谈过这个话题也是一种经验。而且你没法知道以后会找怎么样的工作，你可能现在只对于会计感兴趣，但是三五十年以后可能会觉得你原来在上微观经济课学的东西更有道理，更有作用。我们在学习的时候真的没法知道到底以后会用什么。

那，每一份新工作都会有具体的东西要学，我们为什么不直接去学怎样工作？因为你的老板没法知道你到底有没有学习的能力（agree！）。怎么知道有没有学习的能力？这个没法知道，但是有学习的经验，通过学习的过程就已经说明你愿意学习。

你自己在学习中做（犯）的错误，你就不再（delete）会在工作中做（再犯 or 重蹈覆辙）。

这样的话，我们就有几个原因为什么要学习（为什么要学习的原因）。这个把我们（转）移到最后一个问题，应该免费吗？因为我是北欧人所以我也有点偏袒（倾向于）免费上学。但是我觉得我的原因有道理：我们要让我们最聪明的，最努力的人学习发达（发展）。要是不免费的话穷和富人的区别（差距 here is more correct）就变得更大。富的人因为上了学因为找好了工作才富，穷的人没法上学就没法发展。我们应该让所有的人有这个时间（机会）去试一下，把自己发达（变）成一个整人（完整的人 or 富人？）。大学就是一个时间（时机）可以找朋友，可以试一下思考，你出错的话你最大的问题是重考，不会有别的后果。应该让所有的人都有这个机会！

那，很多社会没有经济能力去让所有的人民免费上大学。但是，在一个完美的世界上，我觉得应该这样。

Why University?

I've been thinking of this problem (ever) since I have (had) some talks with my dear roommate (about it). "we (are) gonna take over the world!" she says, or she is(is she, change word order) kidding(?):P Though I don't think anyone or any country can truly take over the world, because the world is being made up but not taken over, it is still so impressive(,) that the positive power of the words. (made up but not taken over = 编造但是不接管?意思是什么？:)we are all creating the world together, it cannot be taken over by any small amount of people)

Is it like that(Does) everyone more or less has(have) some thoughts of "changing the world"? The reason why I think so is, it could be a small world around you or the whole world. When you were a kid, didn't you wish that it(there) was all(only) cartoon(s) on TV? When you grew up already, did you ever think of a girl/boy (all) day and night? And now (that/if) you are a college student, maybe you are also thinking (")why I should go to college/university?(")

Is it really necessary to go to university(?), I mean, maybe you can also change the world without a degree of university(university degree). And it is(has been) proved by (an) uncountable number of people around us.

So far, you may think that I don't like university or I am not a 'good' student but (just) dreaming of change(changing) the world. (It is) not like that at all, I don't like or dislike university, I'm a 'good' student from the most common point of view, and I don't want to change the world but do what (is) interesting to me.










There are actually many factors (which) make it worth(worthwhile) for us going to(to go to) university, some of them(which) are suggested by Eva:D.

1. To meet awesome people. If you are lucky, you may have a roommate like Eva (with) whom you can talk (about) everything with, from the stupid iphone(s) to religion. The point is you precise(see that.. precise = 精准 perceive) your life is changing towards a better direction.

2. To know(learn that) the world is overwhelmingly unlimited. This becomes more significant when you do your college in another different country from your origin. You will understand that how stupid and silly it is if people don't show tolerance and respect to others.

3. To build your professional network. Those people you finish your secondary education with could go to(work in) any area in there(their) future career, however you will (most likely) meet people within your professional 'circle' most likely in(at) the university.


4. To learn how to learn. Unfortunately I haven't figure(d out) some(any) good methods to learn, but I do understand (that) it is important to learn.









These are the main reasons which look attractive to be a college student(These are the main reasons why being a college student looks attractive/These are the main reasons which make it look attractive to be a college student). Nonetheless, I'm questioning, CAN'T we achieve the same outcomes (as) above without going to university?

Would you maintain your study(studying) as a life long career after your college life (do you think(to) keep learning is important)? If the answer is yes, why not go directly where you want to go and meet the people you would like to talk with?

If it is(were) no longer mandatory to have a master/bachelor's degree as a ticket to open the door of your beloved(desired) career, would you still think of the university education?

Think of(about) that.

A foreigner in Sweden?

I'm that foreigner! In the culture where I grew up, people are curious about foreigners. I became a foreigner in Sweden since(in is better here - you can write "have been .. since, because it is ongoing, but to become is a finished action, so you have to use in) Aug 2010. And I keep(remain is better) curious about the world around me, even though I've been here more than one year, it's always(still) new to me.

There are several interesting things (which) I don't understand about Sweden :D It is interesting to (try to) explain why, I'm trying to, but (at the same time) avoid to give(giving) a 'right' answer.

1. People become very glad(happy. Glad = a little old-fashioned and mostly used to thank people "I am glad you came") to talk to you when they are with(have) a glass of beer or wine...and I used to ask(once asked) a Swedish friend why it is like that, he said "because we feel relaxed"

I was kinda(kind of. Kinda =口语) surprised by his answer. So, (can I speak further=delete), they don't feel relaxed without alcohol?

I cannot understand, totally(absolutely) not, because I felt nervous and my heart beat quite quickly when I was drinking(drank alcohol - past tense is better here because it is a finished action). During my first year in Sweden I had the most chances(ever in my life) to drink, and most of the time I didn't feel comfortable, so I just quit drinking (since=delete) last summer (but the most important reason(for that) is (the=delete) Buddhism)

So, I suppose have no chance(opportunity) to figure out why Swedes feel relaxed when they drink (anymore) :P



2. Yes, most Swedes I've ever talked with, if I'm right, I think they are quite shy (这个句子没有什么问题，但是它有一点口语感). But on average girls are easier to talk with than boys. Maybe I'm even shier(more shy) than them,so they behave(are) very polite and gentle when they are talking with a nervous Chinese girl, hahaha. That's not natural, indeed! (我不理解你的意思。。什么是not natural?) However, what makes me happy is that I have some awesome Swedish friends, they are not like the "traditional" Swedes who look(are) shy and nervous, even without any drinks!

One thing is, I think the most important reason I feel (that it is) hard to communicate with some people is, maybe, language skills. I always want to speak more than that I actually speak out(do). The second important reason is the difference. Notably, it is not cultural difference here, because I do have some good friends (who=delete) from different backgrounds, and some 'hi-bye' Chinese friends though we are from a common culture. Maybe the value(s) you believe (in), the things you focus on are all factors which have influence, and I think they overcome the so-called culture difference, the difference between individuals are more significant between(than) the difference between cultures.


That's all for today! More stories are going to be discussed soon!

Eva: I like your last point, that the individual values are perhaps more significant than the so-called cultural differences. Although generally speaking cultural differences can be hard to overcome, there are lovely people everywhere :-)

垃圾

我热爱旅游。你问我所有的朋友，他们都会给你说同样的一句话："没法知道Eva在哪里，每个月去这么多地方。。"

为什么这么喜欢旅游呢？我最喜欢见到新的朋友，学习别的国家的文化，学习一种新的语言。。旅游的目的多得很，但是在我去过的很多地方都会有一个很大的问题——垃圾。

人家（他们，“人家”is ok but too oral here:）为什么不用垃圾桶？我举个例子。我吃个冰激凌的时候，要是周边看不到垃圾桶,我就会拿着冰激凌纸走到(直到找到，until I find)一个垃圾桶。这件事不是很难，不是很辛苦，就是稍微关注一下我们的环境。

那，我当游客时为什么要关注环境？不是我的环境，不是我的家，我走了以后看不到我自己扔的垃圾。这是一种尊敬，帮助大家保持干干净净的生活地(帮助当地人保持干干净净的生活环境。do you want to express: helping to keep clean tough you are not a local?  so "当地人" is a good word here:D)。

我看到的垃圾到底是谁扔的？肯定不是你，肯定不是你的朋友。。我们都不要垃圾，都不会承诺(承认)自己扔垃圾的事情，但是我们都懒，我们都不要麻烦自己。

不管哪里，你家，我家，他家，都应该干净。要不要互相帮忙记得找垃圾桶？真的没有那么麻烦。


是啊，出门随手带一个垃圾袋吧！我每次上山旅游的时候，看到有的人乱扔垃圾，真的很反感！你是去欣赏风景的，但是你现在破坏了风景，还欣赏什么呀？——雅芳

春节到底是什么回事？

我第一年在中国的时候，我的朋友经常提到春节的乐意（快乐is better here, 乐意is like"glad to do", 我乐意做。。。）和热闹。我本来想应该跟我们圣诞节差不多，亲戚聚在一起，吃饭聊天等等。。

到了我第一次过春节的时候发现有一个很大的不同 ----- 鞭炮！

虽然我们在丹麦过新年的时候也会放炮但是中国过春节的时候真的疯的不行。。

我们在丹麦从小（我们从小在丹麦），每年在学校里回（会）放一部电影，告诉大家鞭炮有什么危险点，应该怎么放，要是不按照放炮的规定，会出现什么。。图片的意见（意思）再明白不过了，鞭炮很危险！！真的让人感觉最好别放，而且要是放的话，一定要小心。

那，春节是什么回事呢？ 我不知道别的地方怎么样，但是我记得在石家庄，没（每）一个路口，每一个（条）路上都有人在放炮。而且用手直接拿着。有自行车，出租车过去，大家也不管。。没有按照任何规定！！而且从早上六点直到晚上两点，14天，都有放炮。嘟嘟嘟嘟哒哒哒哒睡不着。

虽然有鞭炮的问题，但是我还是挺喜欢中国的春节 :-)

comments from Yafang: 这是一个关于春节放鞭炮的很有意思的文章，哈哈哈哈！我本来以为欧洲没有放鞭炮的习惯，但是今天才知道原来每到过节，丹麦也会放炮！而且学校教孩子们如何安全放炮，这个非常好！

A new "approach" to understanding Christmas

Christmas? I couldn't can't remember which is earlier that when I first got to know about the festival of Christmas or the word of Christmas. That does not matter in make a difference when it comes to memorizing the word of Christmas, yes, I bet this word ranks highly in as one of the most difficult words to memorize for Chinese Children.

How did I memorize the damn word? At that time I did not know any spelling rules, so I used the most common method used by Chinese English beginners: Chinese signs characters. "克里斯特马死"=“Christmas”，they are sort of similar in pronunciation, where Chris="克里斯", t=“特”, “mas”=马死.

Sometimes the Chinese signs characters do not make any sense,like Chris(克里斯)，there is no particular meaning with attached to it; but things become interesting when you know that “马死” means"the horse is dead" in Chinese.

Want some an exciting example? OK, take a look at "facebook", it sounds like "非死不可" in Chinese pronunciation，of which the real meaning is which means "have to die"...

It is a silly stupid learning method for to some English "professionals", However, for most people, only when it becomes interesting, your brain is more likely to work as your expected!

(Hihi Eva, you can fix it by editing with a different bright color:)! hahahahaha

Alright, Red is delete, green is a change, blue is an addition!

Comments = If you write couldn't, it means that you couldn't before, but you can now - so in this case it is better to use can :-)

When asking a question, use the to do + verb-form :-)

I tried to leave your original post there, and just add stuff in colours, so you can see what you wrote!

Let me know if you have any questions :-)